Madonna and Child with Nine Angels 1312 - 1318

Segna di Buonaventura painted this ‘Madonna and Child with Nine Angels’ in the early 14th century, using tempera and gold on wood. The Madonna, central to the composition, embodies a maternal ideal, her somber gaze conveying both love and a premonition of her son's fate. The surrounding angels, with their delicate features, emphasize a sense of heavenly protection. Here, the divine is made human through the tender interaction between mother and child. Segna was working in a time of growing humanism, and you can see the move to depict religious figures with more naturalistic and relatable features, inviting a more intimate, emotional connection with the viewer. The artwork invites contemplation on motherhood, sacrifice, and the intersection of the divine and the human, reflecting the complex social fabric of the time.